Revolving tray.



J. RICHTER.

REVOLVING TRAY.

APPLIUATION FILED 0014,1901.

Patented Juhe 15, 1909.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JACOB RICHTER, OF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO ARTHUR LANG, OF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN.

REVOLVING TRAY.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 15, 1909.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JACOB RIoHTER, residing in Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State of l/Visconsin, have invented new and useful Im rovements in Revolving Trays, of which t, e following is a description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which are a part of this specification.

This invention has for its object to provide a revolving tray of a new and improved construction, especially adapted for holding serving dishes at the dining table but useful for other purposes as well.

An object of the invention is to provide a revolving tray of a sim le construction which will be durable and e cient, permitting the tray proper to freely turn upon roller bearings and providing against the accidental separation of parts on moving the tray from place to place.

With the above and other objects in view the invention consists in the revolving tray herein claimed, its parts and combinations of parts and all equivalents.

Referring to the accompanying drawings in which like characetrs of reference indicate the same parts in the different views; Figure 1 is a plan view of a revolving tray constructed in accordance with this invention, parts being broken away to more clearly show the details of construction; Fig. 2 is a central sectional elevation thereof on the plane of line 22 of Fig. 1; and, Fig. 3 is a detail view of the retaining plates for the pivot head of the tray member.

In these drawings 5 represents a base or spider frame which is desirably hexagonal or of other polygonal shape consisting of a single casting of narrow parts forming the outline of the polygon and the diagonals thereof. At each of the corners and at the center of the base or frame are formed depending feet 6 which rest upon the table or other support and the enlarged upper ends of the corner feet are provided with sockets or recesses in which are ournaled trunnioned rollers 7.

A tray member 8, which is preferably a sheet metal plate of a disk shape with a rolled rim and a depressed groove or trough 9 at its edge, is mounted to rotate on the frame by having a conical pivot head 10 at its center bearing within a recess in the central foot 6, the weight of the tray member and its contents being taken by this bearing and the rollers 7 on which it rides.

In order to prevent the accidental separation of the tray member from the frame in moving the device from place to place, a pair of notched retaining plates 11 are secured to the frame near its center, preferably by means of bolts as shown, and the registering notches in these plates form an opening to receive the reduced neck portion of the conical pivot head 10, but which opening is too small to permit of the passage of the conical pivot head. Consequently when the device is lifted by means of the tray member the engagement of the conical pivot-head 10 with the retaining plates 11 holds the parts together and causes the frame to move with the tray member.

In operation the tray may be heavily loaded and still be capable of freely turning because of the nature of its support, the weight being distributed to the several rollers and the conical pivot bearing at the center. The groove 9 around the edge of the tray catches liquids which may be spilled on the tray and retains them, thus avoiding the soiling of the table cloth. At the same time the rim is kept at the plane of the main por tion of the tray member so as to allow plates and dishes to rest flat thereon at the edge of the tray.

What I claim as my invention is;

A revolving tray, comprising a spider frame of cast metal of a polygon shape with its diagonals, depending feet formed at the center and the corners of the frame and integral therewith, said feet having cavities in the tops thereof, trunnioned rollers let into and journaled in the cavities of the corner feet, a fiat tray member bearing on the rollers and occupying a single horizontal plane with the exception of a groove pressed therein around its edge leaving the rim in the common plane with the central portion,apivot member on the tray member having a shouldered conical head bearing in the cavity of the central foot of the frame, and notched plates bolted to the diagonals of the frame and fit- In testimony whereof, I affix my signature, ting together to form an opening therebetween in presence of two Witnesses. by means of their re istering notches throu 'h V which the pivot member passes, said openihg JACOB RIOH'I 5 being of smaller diameter than the head of Witnesses:

the pivot member to prevent the accidental R. S. OfCAiJDWELL, removal of the tray member from the frame. ANNA F. SOHMIDTBAUER. 

